Reinforced spring hinge box



Feb. 8, 1966 c. R. WILLIAMS REINFORCED SPRING HINGE BOX Filed June 10, 1964 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,233,820 REINFORCED SPRING HINGE BOX Charles Roger Williams, Barrington, R.I., assignor to Douglas Young, Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed June 10, 1964, Ser. No. 374,113 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-44) This invention relates to a spring hinge box formed from cardboard or some similar material or material having similar strength characteristics to that of cardboard.

Cardboard boxes with spring hingm have heretofore shown a weakness in the back wall to which the hinges of the box were attached, which often gave rise to the cover section and body section not properly aligning, when closed. These characteristics were particularly true in a construction where the cardboard material was of light weight or in certain boxes where the rear wall was relatively long.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a stiffened box structure to which a hinge is attached.

Another object of this invention is to provide .by means of a right angularly formed member in the location of the corners of the box a means by which the side walls of the box may furnish a support to the rear wall of the box.

Another object of the invention is to so reinforce the corners of the box adjacent the hinging point that the spring of the hinge will not distort the rear wall of the box when in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reinforcing means which may be easily covered by the covering paper of the box While leaving the hinge exposed for proper [functioning thus hiding one of the parts of the box which may appear unsightly.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fragmental portion of a box with the cover open;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the hinge connection on substantially line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of the reinforcing member and hinge.

In proceeding with this invention, I may attach a right angul-arly formed member to the body section and another one to the cover section in the corners of the box where the side and rear walls join and provide on such members prongs and then provide a complete hinge with plates which will receive these prongs to be bent over the plates of the hinge and attach .the plates to the angle members so as to hingedly rel-ate the body and cover sections of the box.

In the drawings only one back corner of the box is shown, the other back corner being a duplicate and with reference to the drawings, designates the body section and 1 1 the cover section of a box which is formed of cardboard or some similar material which might in some cases be a plastic.

The body section 10 is provided with a bottom wall 12, a front wall (not shown), a rear wall 14 and side walls 15. The cover section is provided with a top wall 16, a front wall (not shown), a rear wall 18 and side walls 19. The box is designed to have the edges of the correspondingly vertically extending front, rear and side walls of the body and cover sections in edge to edge relation when in closed position.

In order to reinforce and hingedly relate the sections one to the other, I provide a pair of sheet metal members 21 and 2-2 and shown in perspective in FIG. 3 which have 3,233,820 Patented Feb. 8, 1966 right angularly extending portions 23 and 24 and 25 and 26. These are conveniently formed of sheet stock being bent at the juncture 27 and 28 between the portions so as to extend at right angles to each other. The portions 23 and 25 are adapted to be secured to the rear wall of each of the sections thus these portions are provided with openings 30 with a plurality of prongs 31, 32, 33 and 34 extending from the edges of each opening so that the prongs may pass through the rear walls of the section and be clenched over as at 35 and firmly attach the plate portions 23 and 25 to the rear wall. By this manner of securing the portions 23 or 25 to the rear walls, these portions substantially become one with the rear walls as they are so firmly attached that the rear wall and the metal portion therealong mutually strengthen each other and thus the strength of the metal hinge plus the strength of the rear wall add to one another to mutually assist in providing a rigid structure. Similar'fastenings are provided in the portions 24 and 26 which extend along the side walls of the sections with the prongs about the openings 30 passing through the side walls and being clenched over in a similar manner so as to likewise similarly secure the portions 24 and 26 to the side walls, thus strengthening the side walls. Also by reason of this right angular formation of the metal parts of the members 21 and 22, the side walls lend strength to the back walls and prevent them from being bulged outwardly or bent outwardly which might occur if this strengthening were not present and also this strengthens the corners so that the box may not be shifted from a right angular shape to a parallelogram shape.

The clenching of the prongs over the back or outer surface of the rear wall are relatively small and do not provide an unsightly surface. However, it is highly desirable that the reinforcing members 21 and 22 be hidden from view and accordingly the box has a covering over its outer surface shown at 49 on the body section and 41 on the cover section on the body section 10, this cover extends over the back wall 14 of the body as at 42 and is then turned inwardly over the inner surface of the back wall as at 43 so as to cover the portion 25 of the member 22 and also extends up along the outer surface of the side wall 15 as at 44 and then over the edge of the side wall and over its inner surface as at 45 so as to cover the other portion .26 of the member 22. As to the cover section 11, this covering material 41 extends along the rear wall 18 as at 47 and inwardly over the rear wall and along its inner surface as at 48 to cover the portion 23 of member 21 while it extends along the outer surface of the side wall 19 as at 49 and inwardly over the edge and along the inner surface of the side wall as at 50 covering the portion 24 of the reinforcing member 21. By this covering only the hinge securing means comprising prongs 51 and 52 protruding from the portions 23 and prongs 53 and 54 protruding from the portion 25 will then show.

After the two sections of the box are equipmd with the reinforming members 21 and 22 and the covering applied, a hinge designated generally 55 ('FIG. 3) and comprising plates 56 and 57 having rolled eyes 58 and 59 with a pintle pin 60 connecting them in a hinge fashion is utilized. The plates will have cut outs 61 and 62 spaced a distance to receive the prongs 51 and 52 while the plate 57 will have out cuts 63 and 64 spaced a distance to receive the prongs 5'3 and 54. The plates will be positioned on these prongs of the two sections, and these prongs will be bent in opposite directions such as both inwardly toward each other as shown in FIG. 1, thus securing the plates of the hinge to the sections at the reinforced areas thereof.

These two hinge plates will also be provided with cut cuts as at 65 and 66 with the edge of each cut out nearest the hinge pintles raised slightly (see FIG. 2) to provide lips 67 and 6-8 which may be engaged by an arcuate spring 69 having hook ends 70 and 71 engaging these lips.

By this arrangement, this spring Will swing the cover section to open position or to closed position depending upon the relative position of the hinge plates with relation to each other about the hinge axis O\f pintle 60.

I claim:

1. In a box of cardboard or similar material, a body section and a cover section, each having side and rear Walls with their edges abutting, means for reinforcing and hinged ly attaching said sections together comprising a right angu larly formed sheet metal member fitted to the juncture of the side and rear walls of each section and extending along the inner surface of the side and rear walls of each section, said member having a plurality of integral projections embedded in the walls over which it extends with the free ends of the projections deflected in a plurality of different directions and clenched over the outer surface of the said Walls firm ly securing the member to the section, inwardly extending prongs on the portion of the member extending along the rear Wall of each section, a hinge having plates with openings receiving said prongs, with the prongs bent over the inner surface of the plates, said plates each having an opening providing a lip, and an arcuate spring with inturned ends engaging said lips and urging the plates and the members attached thereto in an opening or closing direction depending on the relative position of said plates.

2. In a box as in claim 1 Where-in said prongs are raised from the stock of the hinge plate.

3. In a box as in claim 1 wherein a sheet of stock covers the portions of the metal member along each side Wall of the sections and rear wall with said prongs projecting through said cover stock and engaging said hinge.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,119,804 12/1914 Brown. 1,430,029 9/ 1922 Rhodes 229-44 2,605,925 8/1952 Morin. 3,100,073 8/1963 Roy 229-44 GEORGE O. RALSTON, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A BOX OF CARDBOARD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL, A BODY SECTION AND A COVER SECTION, EACH HAVING SIDE AND REAR WALLS WITH THEIR EDGES ABUTTING, MEANS FOR REINFORCING AND HINGEDLY ATTACHING SAID SECTIONS TOGETHER COMPRISING A RIGHT ANGULARLY FORMED SHEET METAL MEMBER FITTED TO THE JUNCTURE OF THE SIDE AND REAR WALLS OF EACH SECTION AND EXTENDING ALONG THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SIDE AND REAR WALLS OF EACH SECTION, SAID MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTEGRAL PROJECTIONS EMBEDDED IN THE WALLS OVER WHICH IT EXTENDS WITH THE FREE ENDS OF THE PROJECTIONS DEFLECTED IN A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND CLENCHED OVER THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE SAID WALLS FIRMLY SECURING THE MEMBER TO THE SECTION, INWARDLY EXTENDING PRONGS ON THE PORTION OF THE MEMBER EXTENDING ALONG THE REAR WALL OF EACH SECTION, A HINGE HAVING PLATES WITH OPENINGS RECEIVING SAID PRONGS, WITH THE PRONGS BENT OVER THE INNER SURFACE OF THE PLATES, SAID PLATES EACH HAVING AN OPENING PROVIDING A LIP, AND AN ARCUATE SPRING WITH INTURNED ENDS ENGAGING SAID LIPS AND URGING THE PLATES AND THE MEMBERS ATTACHED THERETO IN AN OPENING OR CLOSING DIRECTION DEPENDING ON THE RELATIVE POSITION OF SAID PLATES. 